Huner pangs, bloating, gerd

[Steve31]

Hi everybody,
For the last few years I've struggled with constant heartburn and gerd.  I've had to go to the E.R. at 4 in the morning because I inhaled stomach acid in my sleep.  I started taking tums, then Zantac 75, then Zantac 150, then pentoprazole.  I couldn't keep paying 90 bucks a refil, so I ended up having to take between 5 and 8 of the Zantac 150 every day to keep it under control.
Now it seems I have a new symptom.  Chronic hunger pangs and my stomach always feels bloated and is sore to the touch.  My fiance thinks I have an ulcer.  What do all of you think?  It's now my fourth day up at 3 a.m. because I can't sleep.  I could really use some advice.

[Jangela]

   When you finally get your symptoms under control, you might find you don't even need your sleeping wedge anymore. My husband hasn't needed his for quite some time.
    The apple juice probably helps you because apples are a known acid "cure". Something in them, maybe the pectin and alkalinity soothes the stomach lining. You can also try eating a slice of plain white bread when the "hunger pangs" return. My husband used to keep a slice of this next to the bed in a baggy, and when he woke with that gnawing feeling, he would eat it and go right back to sleep. It seems to soak up the acid really well.
    He was on a strict diet for a long time, with limited results, but now eats and drinks almost everything. If he starts to feel bloated, he just pops the charcoal capsules, and the gas is pretty much gone.

[soo_many_symptoms]

I get those gnawing hunger pangs too - mostly in the night and when I can sleep it is only for an hour or two at the most. Been bloated for ages too. Nobody was bothered, except for me, and implied that it was to do with meno. I personally, have found that having half a glass of pure apple & mango fruit juice (not from concentrate) takes this extreme hunger feeling away and only need to do it once in the night. Don't have a clue why it works but it does for me. I eat small frequent meals with lots of cooked veggies and drink only water afterwards, and this helps with the bloating and reflux. I limit tea and coffee to a couple of times a day maximum and not with any food. I try to eat  fatty and sweet things only rarely. I am also experimenting with finding alternatives to wheat as I don't think eating this does me any favours in the bloating department. I am quite a slim lady and it upsets me always looking like I am 20 weeks pregnant at my age!! I also find it helpful for the reflux, to sleep on a wedge so that the upper body from the waist upward is elevated. Difficult to get used to though especially if you normally would sleep on your side! Also going to try Jangela's suggestions of Aloe Vera and charcoal when necessary.
My best wishes for your return to good digestive health  :-)

[Jangela]

You could have an ulcer, but your symptoms sound pretty much textbook GERD, same as my husband had. It was all the same for him, with the reflux, the sleepless nights, the bloated belly. He also took Zantac without success. What he finally ended up doing was having a doctor look down his throat to discover his burned esophagus and tooth enamel that was severely eroded from all that acid washing up. The doctor didn't find an ulcer, but he put him on Prilosec, I think for a few weeks, until his throat could heal. I wouldn't take any medicine for an extended period though. They have a way of making the symptoms worse over time. As for my husband, he now takes a broad spectrum digestive enzyme capsule with each meal every day, plus aloe vera juice before bed to help neutralize the acid and keep his digestive tract healthy. If he feels any heartburn coming on or is feeling bloated/gassy/ burpy, he takes a couple of activated charcoal capsules, which soak up the nasties and keeps the reflux at bay. After suffering like you did for many years, he has it under control and can eat and drink almost anything within reason. He just makes sure to take his supplements without fail, because you have to keep everything moving along, otherwise the reflux returns. As for the charcoal, don't take it with any medicine because it will soak that up too. All these things can be found at the health food store/ specialty vitamin shop. Good luck. I feel for you !